Theater Camp
by Gleefully Wicked
Summary: Over a year before she joined Glee Club, Rachel Berry attended Theater Camp where she had her actual first love and *gasp* was popular! Remember, what happens at Theater Camp stays at Theater Camp. RachelxOC and RachelxIndependence. Lots of OCs. Pre-Glee
1. The New Girl

**Author's note:**

**Ok this idea suddenly came to me as I was in the middle of a book discussion with one of my friends. The book happened to be Glee: The Beginning. We were talking about how it was kind of funny when Rachel mentioned something about making out with guys at theater camp and I thought, "I should write about that!" So here it is. This will go over the course of two different summers, one is the summer before Rachel's freshman year at McKinley and the other is the summer before her sophomore year(The first season). There will be a character cameo at one point so watch out for that but besides Rachel and the cameo almost all other characters in this are OCs. Finally, there actually is a Lake Murphy in Oregon! I originally came up with the name to pay tribute to the evil genius, Ryan Murphy but it turns out that the lake isn't fictional. **

**Oh and it will be entirely in Rachel's point of view!**

Prologue

I'm just going to start by saying that always be aware of the consequences of your actions. For example, as I'm saying this I am sitting between my two dads on an airplane going back to Ohio after spending two months in Oregon at summer camp. Well, not just any summer camp. _Mariska Addison's Performing Arts Retreat_ more commonly known by it's attendees as, Theater Camp.

To put it lightly, I'm grounded for the rest of the summer and probably a few more months after that. I'm probably confusing you though. So I think I should start at the beginning.

_Summer 2008_

I nervously got out of the yellow cab that my dads had paid a fortune to drive me out into what most people would think was the middle of nowhere. However most people don't know that there's a camp located on the East side of the small but beautiful, Lake Murphy and that is where I would be spending the majority of my summer break before I started high school in the fall.

I had already said my goodbyes to my dads at the Portland airport so I wouldn't cry or anything embarrassing like that in front of any of the other kids there. All I had to do was sign in and hopefully make a name for myself at this place.

The cab driver helped me get my suitcase out of the trunk and I made my way over to a tall, buff, bald man in a white t-shirt that said in black lettering, 'Counselor' on the back. He was holding a clip-board over his head and shouting to all of the teenagers,

"Cabin assignments here!" he literally had to look down at me when I got over to him. He looked like he was about forty years old and seemed like he would be more in his element at a professional wrestling match than at a summer camp for teens to learn about musical theater. I could read now that on the front of his shirt it said, _Mariska Addison's Performing Arts Retreat_.

"Name?" he asked emotionlessly.

"Rachel Berry." I said confidently. He looked at his clipboard for a split second said,

"Cabin A5." Then he pointed to two women who looked like they were in their early thirties sitting at a foldaway table and instructed almost like it was burned into his brain, "If you haven't done so already go over to those women over there and they'll finish up your registration." I could tell that the counselor didn't want to be there.

"Thank you." I said politely and walked over to the women and said, "Rachel Berry." One of them looked at a clipboard almost identical to the one the bald man had and said,

"Alright and you're 14?" she asked. I didn't mention this before but the camp only has kids ages 13 to 16. According to the camp's website it's the best time in our lives to determine what our strengths and weaknesses are.

"Yes." I answered as the other woman got a box from under the table.

"What size t-shirt do you wear?" The woman with the box asked.

"Small." I answered. She took two black t-shirts that were identical to the ones they were wearing out of the box and put them onto a letter press.

"Do you spell Rachel, R-A-C-H-E-L?" she asked. I nodded. In record time she had made both of the shirts say Rachel on the back just as the bald man's had said counselor.

"You're expected to wear one of your shirts every day except for Fridays or if you're in costume, swimming or in your pajamas." The woman explained as she handed me the shirts. "You'll have a washer and dryer in your cabin for you to wash your shirts, though you'll have to arrange a schedule for them with your cabin mates." She added. My brain did a double take. Cabin mates? My facial expression must have given away my feelings about sharing a cabin.

"Don't worry I'm sure you'll make friends with them in no time." The other woman who had the clipboard said kindly. Just then there was a crackle coming from a speaker that was on a light post and a female voice said,

"Attention campers please report to the outdoor stage area."

"Well it looks like it's time for orientation. The outdoor stage is that way." The clipboard woman said and pointed in the direction where other teenagers were walking. I nodded and began to walk to where the crowd was going. I slowed my pace slightly so I could get a chance to look at the surroundings.

It seemed like any other summer camp you see in movies or TV shows. Except for the fact that all of it's attendees seemed rather…bubbly. I smiled to myself. I'd finally found a place where people wouldn't think I was weird because of my ambitious attitude. Although that was something I'd grown used to over the years. When I was young, the other kids basically ignored me. It was in 5th grade when the bullying began. It started out with insults and then progressed to hall-tripping and shoving in middle school.

The only time I ever had a good friend that actually went to school with me was in 6th grade. She was new to Lima and I was the only person who showed a shred of kindness to her. We were best friends for almost two months until her parents found out about my dads and told her not to be around me anymore. It didn't really matter though because her dad was in the Army and they had to move again a few weeks after that.

So basically I've spent my life alone. No friends and no siblings. The only time I felt I ever had friends was when I would go to Broadway forums online. So at this camp I was going to change that. I, Rachel Berry was going to have friends who appreciated me for who I am. Annoying tendencies and all. And if I couldn't, it wouldn't really be any different than my usual lonely life.

I finally made it to an area where what looked like about a hundred teenagers were sitting(the camp was rather exclusive and my dads had to sign me up months in advance). I made my way over to an empty spot on the concrete steps that everyone was using as seating. As soon as I sat down a girl with straightened blonde hair sat beside me.

"You must be new?" she assumed kindly. I nodded shyly. She held out her hand for me to shake.

"I'm Amanda Jost." she introduced herself. I brought back my usual Rachel Berry confidence and shook her hand.

"I'm Rachel Berry." I said.

I must admit that I used to be really awkward when it came to speaking with people my own age. It's probably due to my solitary lifestyle and the bullying I've endured. But somehow I felt that at this camp I could finally be myself and that these kids were like me. Driven, overflowing with talent, and probably talk more than they should. Here I was…normal.

Just after I said my name a woman walked out onto the stage and everyone got quiet. The woman looked to be in her late thirties and had light brown hair that was cropped short. Unlike all of the other adults I'd seen at the camp, she wasn't wearing a special black or white t-shirt. She also had a headset microphone on.

"Hello shining stars!" she greeted everyone with her voice amplified by the speakers placed around the camp.

"Hello Mariska!" Everyone said back to her. The woman was Mariska Addison, the owner of the camp and(I'd done a little research) a former Broadway star.

"It is so nice to see all of your smiling faces." Mariska said kindly. "I have a good feeling about you guys this summer and I hope to help you all reach your full potential." She was clearly giving a cliché welcoming speech to us. It's the same thing with every learning institution. I'd gotten one at middle school orientation and I was most likely going to get another at the McKinley High orientation in a few months. I looked over at Amanda to see that instead of listening, she was flipping through a Playbill.

"I find it rather insulting that she doesn't even come up with fresh speeches every year." Amanda said quietly to me. She must have sensed me looking at her.

"She said the same things last year?" I asked in a whisper.

"Yeah." she replied. "In five seconds she's going to bring her husband on stage." She added.

Sure enough, just then a young looking, tall guy with really long legs and fiery red hair walked onto the stage to stand next to Mariska.

"Campers, for those who don't know him, this is my husband, Jeremy. He's our lead dance instructor and choreographer." Jeremy didn't say anything but he smiled and waved at everyone.

"Is he good?" I asked Amanda.

"Uh huh. Jeremy was on Broadway. That's where he met Mariska." She explained. Just then Mariska announced,

"Ok that about sums everything up. You all are dismissed to your cabins." Amanda and I stood up together. I was surprised that she was a few inches shorter than my 5'2 stature. She brushed off her plaid skirt and the two of us began to walk towards the cabins together.

"Which cabin are you in?" Amanda asked.

"A5." I recalled. She gasped.

"Me too!" She said happily.

The two of us then began talking about ourselves. I told her that I'm from Lima, Ohio, I have two gay dads, and I have a mezzo soprano voice range. I learned from her that she's from New York, her parents were never married, and her vocal range is yet to be classified.

When we got to our cabin six other girls were already there. As soon as two of them saw Amanda they instantly ran up to us. One of them was ginger and was at least six inches taller than me. The other was Latina and about my height. Both of them got Amanda into a group hug. Once Amanda managed to get them off of her she smiled and said,

"Guys this is Rachel." both of them smiled kindly at me.

"I'm Sabrina." The Latina introduced herself.

"And I'm Nicole." The redhead added.

"Rachel's new so the three of us are going to help her out." Amanda told them. Before the two could respond to that one of the other girls jumped down from her top bunk onto her feet. She had light brown hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and looked older than us.

"Ok bitches change into your shirts." She ordered. I was a tad surprised at her cavalier use of vulgar language and how she told everyone what to do.

"That's Piper. She's 16 and is our cabin leader." Sabrina whispered to me.

"How'd you manage to be made a cabin leader, Piper?" Amanda asked her directly. I thought that she was a bit insane to do so since, quite frankly, I was scared of Piper.

"Well, I've been here four years in a row and I was the lead in the production of Chicago last year and _will _be the lead in the production this year. I'm clearly a leader and Ms. Addison knows that some of my talent may rub off on some of you." Piper explained arrogantly. Amanda rolled her eyes.

"And you, new girl." Piper directed at me. "I don't want any trouble from you."

"I assure you, I won't be any trouble." I said nervously.

"Good because new people over 13 don't get accepted here very often and you wouldn't want to ruin your chances of getting invited back next year." Piper warned almost menacingly. With that she (rather dramatically) left the cabin.

"Oh my god she is such a bitch!" Nicole said as she flung her duffle bag onto an empty bottom bunk. Sabrina climbed up the ladder of the same bunk and claimed the top.

"Rachel!" Amanda called from the bed beside Nicole and Sabrina's. She was already on the top bunk. "You can sleep below me." she offered. I looked around the cabin. There were four bunk beds in total and three of which were occupied so the only available bed was the one Amanda was offering. I rolled my suitcase over to it and sat down on the bed while being careful not to hit my head on the frame of Amanda's bed.

"So has she always been this awful?" I asked nobody in particular as I unzipped the front pocket of my suitcase and pulled out the quilt my grandmother on my father Leroy's side had made me when I was a baby.

"Yes." Amanda, Sabrina, and Nicole all said in unison.

"Well at least as long as we've been here which is a year." Sabrina added. I nodded and spread the quilt across my bed. After that I changed into one of my black t-shirts.

"Rachel, we're going down to the lake. Do you wanna come with?" Nicole asked. She, Sabrina and Amanda had also changed into their shirts.

"Sure." I said. I wasn't about to turn them down because all three of them were potential friends. Especially Amanda.

The four of us then left the cabin and Amanda began leading the way down to the lake. We all discussed our dream roles an who we admired most. Then as we were very close to the lake, Amanda stopped dead in her tracks.

"Hot guys twelve o'clock!" she whispered loudly to us. All four of us then proceeded to make sure our hair was ok. After I assured myself that it looked fine I finally got a chance to see the boys Amanda had been referring to.

There was a group of boys all in shirts that looked just like ours (except they were white with black printing) hanging out together in the shade of a huge pine tree. There were five boys in total but I only saw one in particular.

He was gorgeous. By far the best looking guy I'd ever seen. His hair was dirty blonde and he had slightly suntanned skin. He wore khaki cargo shorts and his white t-shirt showed off his toned muscles.

Just then one of the boys grabbed a guitar and started playing

_All That's Known_ from Spring Awakening(my dads still don't know that I've seen it via internet). The four boys that I didn't care to notice began to chant the Latin part of the song while _He_ began singing. His voice was absolutely wonderful. I stood there with stars in my eyes as I watched him sing.

This nameless boy was perfect in every way. So I, Rachel Berry was going get him by any means.

**That is where I'm going to stop for now. I forgot to mention earlier that this story will also explain a few minor things about Rachel. But anyways I also wanted to try something. I've been writing for a while and I find that there's always little fun facts that go with each chapter I write so I'm going to say them all after each chapter of this story!**

**Fun Facts!**

***I have been considering writing this fic for over three months.**

***The nameless boy's appearance is based off of Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero in Wicked. Along with a few of his personality traits.**

***Amanda's appearance is based off of Kristin Chenoweth (April Rhodes)**

***I said that Rachel is fourteen in the summer of 2008 when actually she would have only been thirteen due to her birthday being December 18, 1994.**

***Mariska Addison is named after the actress, Mariska Hargitay.**

***Rachel mentions seeing Spring Awakening. A musical in which the leads were played by Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff (Rachel and Jesse).**

***Piper's initial attitude was inspired by Christy Carlson Romano's character, Jennifer in the Disney channel movie, Cadet Kelly. **

**I think that's all of the fun facts for this chapter. Please review!**


	2. Crushes and Poker Games

**Author's note:**

**Ok so here's the second chapter. I don't own Glee because if I did then this would actually be an episode or two and not just a fanfic. This chapter has a slight mention of Puckleberry but Puck is not the cameo.**

I was still staring at the perfect boy when suddenly there was a hand snapping in front of my face.

"Earth to Rachel!" Amanda's voice called to me. I snapped back into reality and looked at her.

"Rachel, there is a fine line between being flirty and being creepy. For example, to be flirty, you look at those guys intently for twenty seconds max! What you were doing was just creepy!" Amanda explained to me. In my own defense, I've never had a boyfriend so I don't know much about guys. I'd only had one crush and that was in third grade. He was a boy named, Noah Puckerman.

I'd developed a crush on him at Temple and we happened to be in the same class in school. The two of us were assigned to be partners on a poster of the different breeds of whales. It was then that I realized that not only was Noah incredibly lazy, but also stupid. He had decided to shave off most of his slightly curly hair so that he could have a Mohawk and called me a know-it-all when I actually remembered every type of whale. He then called me a prude when I refused to kiss him under my desk.

Those were all of the factors that ended my infatuation with Noah Puckerman.

So anyways I couldn't help it if I was being creepy. I didn't know any better!

"I'm sorry I didn't realize I was being creepy." I apologized as the four of us continued down to the lake. We were almost to the lake when Sabrina asked,

"So which guy were you staring at?" I wasn't sure if I should tell them. I mean for all I knew one of them could have been dating the perfect boy!

"Come on Rach, you can tell us." Amanda pried. I quietly said,

"The dirty blonde one that was singing." All three of them then smiled.

"Landon Knight." Nicole said simply. All three of them proceeded to swoon. I didn't think people did that anymore!

"Do you want the lowdown on him?" Sabrina asked me. I shrugged and said,

"Sure." Sabrina nodded and began.

"Landon is fifteen, he's apparently filthy rich, he's most likely going to be the male lead in this year's production, and as confirmed by a reliable source, he's single." Sabrina explained. She smiled widely at the last part.

"Yeah but we all know that Piper has her eyes on him." Nicole said sadly.

"And guys totally are into older women! Damn her!" Amanda exclaimed dramatically.

"So is there no hope?" I asked.

"Pretty much. But anything can happen." Sabrina said optimistically. I nodded. Why did I even care? It's not like a guy like that would like me. Sure I'd been told by several people at Temple that I'm pretty, but I wasn't _that_ pretty. I decided I would drop all thoughts about the perfect, Landon Knight. I would never have him. I decided to change the subject by saying,

"So tell me about this, 'production' that everyone keeps talking about." it was Amanda who decided to explain.

"Every year Mariska chooses a musical for us to perform for our parents on the last night here and there's auditions for leads but usually people know who will get the parts beforehand." I nodded. So the famous 'production' was simply the camp performing a musical. Being a Broadway fangirl, this actually excited me. Who knows maybe I could audition for a small, non-speaking role.

By the time I'd been at camp for two weeks things became more and more natural to me. I participated in as many activities as I could including, Broadway 101, ballet, intense vocal training, and drama. All of my instructors were surprised that I was only a first year.

I also developed my friendships with Amanda, Sabrina and Nicole. All of them have very similar personalities to mine but they all have unique traits. For example, Amanda is really hyper and a little bit self-centered. Nicole is somewhat of a pessimist(Amanda frequently calls her, Negative Nancy). And Sabrina reminds me a little bit of Gretchen from Mean Girls because she seems to know everything about everyone.

At the very beginning of the third week of camp, there is a huge bonfire. It's there that Mariska announces what musical we'll be performing for our production. After that bonfire the rest of the week is all about auditions. And then rehearsals until the end of camp.

At the bonfire I sat between Amanda and Sabrina. We were all joking about the worst musicals ever and roasting marshmallows.

"Oh come on! Cry-baby isn't _that_ bad!" Amanda defended.

"Yes it is. It just seems like it isn't because Johnny Depp is so hot in it." I explained. Nicole and Sabrina nodded in agreement.

Just then Mariska turned on her headset and began to speak to everyone.

"Hello campers! Are you all having fun?" She asked. Everyone replied in unison,

"Yes!"

"Good because that is our secondary goal for all of you at this camp! The first of course being to help all of your talent flourish." she said enthusiastically. Unlike her speech on the first day, I was actually paying attention this time because I wanted to know what we would be performing. I was secretly praying for Funny Girl, Evita or Les Misérables.

"I know all of you want to know what we'll be performing for this year's production so I'll get right to it. This year we will be performing the Tony award winning….Wicked!" She announced. I gasped. It was almost better than I hoped. Even though Wicked is newer it is absolutely amazing! Also, I had recently added Elphaba to my list of characters I would like to play. However, it wasn't like I would audition for that. Elphaba is one of the leads in the show. No first year has ever gotten a lead role in a production in the entire history of Theater Camp.

After I burst my own happy bubble I realized the reactions of everyone else. They were all ecstatic but that was no surprise.

Shortly after Mariska's announcement, we were all directed to go back to our cabins. While we were walking back to A5, Nicole asked,

"So Rachel, are you going to audition?" I shrugged.

"you should!" Amanda encouraged. I shook my head shyly.

"Rachel, we've heard you sing! You're really good!" Sabrina pressed.

"Guys, I'm a first year. You all should know by now that no first year has ever gotten a lead in a production." I explained as we entered our cabin. Before any of them could say anything we all realized that in the middle of the cabin, there was a small, folding table. Sitting at that table were two of our other cabin mates. Both of them were fifteen year old third years.

"Welcome ladies." one of them greeted us menacingly. The other was skillfully shuffling a deck of cards.

"How'd that table get in here?" Nicole asked.

"We jacked it from a storage shed." the one that was shuffling the cards answered.

"We're supposed to go to bed now." Amanda informed them. I already knew that we probably wouldn't be going to be for a while.

"We're aware. Someone kill the lights." the one that welcomed us directed. Sabrina then went over to the light switches and flipped them all down. Leaving the entire cabin incredibly dark. The only light came from the small amount of moonlight streaming in through the windows. Then one of the fifteen year-olds placed an electric lantern on the table and turned it on. The light dimly lighting the cabin.

"take a seat ladies." the one that welcomed us directed. We all did as we were told. "If you didn't already know, my name is Riley and this is Felicia." she introduced herself and the girl who was still shuffling the cards.

"Where's Piper?" Nicole asked. I too wondered where our overbearing, irritable cabin leader was. Usually she is always around to make sure that none of us got into any trouble so that she could look good as a cabin leader.

"All of the cabin leaders are meeting by the lake for their annual solo poll." Felicia informed us. "She should be gone for at least a couple of hours." she added. Finally, Amanda, Sabrina, Nicole and I finally sat down at the table.

"The game is Texas Hold 'Em ladies. I assume you all know how the game works. We're playing for keeps." Riley explained while Felicia dealt us each two cards.

"my parents only left me twenty dollars for emergencies." Nicole confessed.

"That's fine, money isn't the only thing you can bet." Felicia said.

"So what can we bet?" Amanda asked as she looked at her two cards.

"Anything worth something. Clothes, jewelry, CDs, Playbills, you name it." Riley explained. I smiled and shook my head. Playing poker with these girls was probably not a good idea. But hey, I had to let loose sometime or I wouldn't have any friends.

"I'm in." I said and got fifty dollars from my pocket. My dads had given me two hundred dollars in case I really needed to do something. I think this counted as a must.

"Excellent new girl!" Riley praised me. "Anyone else?" she asked Amanda, Nicole and Sabrina.

"Sure." Amanda said and pulled a role of fives out of her bra. Nicole shook her head shyly and went over to her bunk. Sabrina nodded and placed a totally uncrumpled hundred dollar bill on the table.

"Lets begin." Felicia said. Then Riley pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and took one. Then offered one to Felicia. Both then lit them with Zippo lighters. Riley offered all three of us a cigarette but we all declined.

"You should know that smoking is terrible for your voice." Amanda stated to Riley and Felicia.

"We're dancers." Felicia stated simply. I nodded.

"just make sure nobody catches you because we'll all get in trouble." I warned them. They both nodded. I didn't put in my input about how much I despised smoking but I didn't want them to think I was lame. I decided to look down at my cards. Two aces.

"I bet fifty." I said calmly. Everyone looked at me in surprise.

"you're going all in on your first hand?" Riley asked I surprise. I could tell she thought I was either bluffing or stupid.

"Call." She said confidently.

"I fold." Amanda and Sabrina said in unison.

"I call and raise one Hairspray Playbill." Felicia said and put a Playbill down on the table. Then we all showed our cards. Riley had two kings and Felicia had a king and an ace. Both very good hands, but mine was better.

"Shit!" Felicia yelled and moved all of my winnings over to me. I couldn't believe I'd just one over two hundred dollars.

Several hands later however, I was about even. The only things I still had were my original two hundred I had before and three new Playbills.

"Alright this is the last hand." Riley said after she looked at the clock. It was only her and I playing now. Felicia and Amanda had dropped out and were just watching now. Unfortunately, Riley had lost most of her money to Felicia before she dropped out. I looked down at my cards. They were ok but they weren't amazing.

"twenty." I bet and moved a twenty to the middle of the table. Riley looked down at her cards and then at her small amount of money to bet.

"I call and raise…my Bedazzler." Riley announced. Amanda and Felicia gasped.

"Not the Bedazzler!" Felicia yelled dramatically. I smiled slightly and made eye-contact with Riley. Then we both laid down our cards. I had three of a kind. She had two pair. I won.

"YES!" I yelled enthusiastically. Riley reluctantly gave me twenty dollars and her Bedazzler.

"Take care of it." she said and she and Felicia began stacking the chairs so that they could take them and the table to where they found them.

"you guys had better go to bed. If Piper comes back before we get here just say that we're having a meeting with the other dancers." Felicia directed. I nodded and they left. I changed into my pajamas and sprayed the room with Febreze before I got into bed.

"Hey Rachel?" Amanda whispered down to me from her bunk.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I have a plan." she said mysteriously.

"A plan for what?" I asked.

"I know of a way that you can get Landon Knight." she said as she leaned over the side of the bed so that she could see me.

"you're joking, right?" I asked.

"Do I sound like I'm joking?" she asked. I could barely see her face in the dark but I could tell she was being serious.

**Well I only got one review on the last chapter but I'm still going to do some fun facts.**

**Fun Facts!**

**The poker part was inspired by the remake of The Parent Trap.**

**I considered using Finn as Rachel's childhood crush but I decided that Puck would be funnier.**

**Wicked is my favorite musical which is why I'm making it the musical they're performing.**

**Riley and Felicia were named after two of my sister's friends.**

**I mentioned that Cry-Baby is awful because it truly is in my opinion. But my sister still forces me to watch it every once in a while.**

**Ok I think that's it for this chapter. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Being A Star

**Author's note:**

**Ok this chapter should be where the action starts. It's when Rachel Berry becomes…Rachel Berry with a star at the end! And a bunch of other stuff happens. On with the show!**

"Amanda, I think you've lost it." I said to my friend after she had finished telling me her plan. She'd explained it to me over breakfast and I still couldn't believe she actually thought that her plan was a good idea.

"I haven't lost it Rachel. You're just being a coward." Amanda said to me honestly. She looked more serious than I'd ever seen her. I took a sip from my orange juice.

"So you are aware that no first year has ever gotten a lead role in a production in the history of this camp, right?" I said to her. She smiled at me.

"Yes Rachel, I am aware of that." She said. "Which is exactly why you have to audition for Elphaba. If you get the part and are in fact the first newbie to get a lead, then you will for sure get Landon's attention and he will be yours!" She explained all in one breath. It was rather impressive actually. Then she inhaled once and continued.

"Aaaaand if you get the role of Elphaba you will have a kissing scene with Landon! And don't even ask how I know he will get the part of Fiyero because he just will. It's a proven fact." she looked at me as she waited for my reaction.

"Did you happen to take any pills this morning, A?" I asked her, referring to her more than hyper behavior.

"No I did not, thank you very much." she said. "So…will you do it?" She asked. I thought about it for a moment. Auditioning couldn't possibly hurt me. I knew that I was able to sing and the worst that could happen would be if they turned me down. Which wouldn't be new as I'd been turned down for several roles at the Lima community theatre.

But the difference here is that there was more in it than a part. I had the chance of possibly attracting the attention of the most perfect guy on the planet and all I had to do was sing a stupid power ballad. Again, this wasn't new to me.

"Fine, I'll do it." I said after my inner debate with myself. Amanda's face lit up.

"And so your training begins, young Jedi." She said, almost out of character since I wouldn't have pegged her as a person to reference Star Wars. The only reason I even understood it was because my dad, Hiram is a huge nerd and is into that stuff. I was about to ask when Amanda grabbed my right arm and yanked me from my chair.

"What are you doing?" I asked in surprise as she practically dragged me from the dining hall.

"Rachel, you may have an amazing voice but that's just one of the many things it takes to be a star." Amanda said as she led me to our cabin.

"How will you help me?" I asked. I was getting a little bit out of breath since I really wasn't a runner and Amanda was forcing me to go full speed across the camp.

"I know all of the techniques Broadway stars use to get noticed. My dad's a casting director for several shows and my mom is a retired understudy." Amanda explained. It was the first time she had spoken of her parents since our first day when she'd said they never married.

"Well what I learned from my parents is that image is everything." Amanda continued. "if you look boring then people will think you're boring." She unlocked the door to our cabin and went over to her things.

"Where do we start?" I asked as she dug through her clothes.

"Style." She answered and pulled a purple and black, plaid skirt out of her suitcase. She held it up to my waist to see if it would fit me and then handed it to me. "Try this on." she said. I looked at the skirt skeptically.

"Why this?" I asked her. I found it odd because the skirt was not only short, but also a little bit unfashionable.

"Rachel, being different makes you stand out in casting. I'm not saying that you should wear insane things. I'm saying that you should wear a style that's all your own." Amanda explained. "Also you have great legs and should show them off to Landon." She added. That made me blush. I'm pretty short so getting complimented on my legs meant something.

"But a lot of girls wear plaid skirts." I said in a feeble, last minute attempt to get out of wearing the skirt.

"Which is why we are going to add an outrageous accessory!" She said like it was obvious. She went back over to her now completely unorganized pile of clothes and began to dig. After a minute or two she yelled, "This is it!" like she was a pirate that had just found the place to start digging.

"What?" I asked as I walked over to where she was surrounded by her heaps of clothes on the floor.

"These!" she said and held up a pair of white knee socks. I looked at her like she'd gone insane.

"Ok I thought that the skirt was bad." I said to her in a monotone and began to leave the cabin. Amanda ran over to me and turned me back around.

"Rachel, just try on the outfit. If you don't like it then you don't have to wear it for your audition." Amanda tried to reason with me. I sighed.

"Fine." I said stubbornly as I took the skirt and the socks into the cabin bathroom to change. Getting the skirt on was the easy part. It was the socks I had trouble with. Knee socks really weren't my thing. In fact they were one of the many things that made me retire from my very brief soccer career when I was ten. However, after I'd finally gotten them on, I discovered they were really comfortable. I checked myself out in the mirror. I had to give Amanda credit, nobody in camp would be dressed like this from the waist down(the camp t-shirts were almost like a uniform system so the way people were different was through the way they dressed the bottom half of their body). I stepped out of the bathroom to face Amanda.

"Amazing. Simply amazing." She said as she slowly clapped. "Am I a genius or am I a genius?" She asked rhetorically. I chuckled at her reaction and went over to my things. I had to find a pair of shoes that would go with my ensemble. I wasn't going to be wearing the outfit today because auditions didn't even start until the day after but I just wanted to be completely prepared. All I had were flip flops, pink Converse, and a pair of black penny loafers. I could tell that Amanda was standing on her tippy toes to see over my shoulder.

"I'd go with the penny loafers. The Converse aren't the right color and everybody knows that you don't wear socks with flip flops." Amanda said and I nodded. I put on the penny loafers and looked at Amanda for approval. She gave me a thumbs up.

"So can I change out of this skirt for now?" I asked. Amanda nodded and I went back into the bathroom to change into the pink basketball shorts I'd had on before. When I had changed and went back to Amanda, Sabrina and Nicole had showed up. The two of them had been at a stunts class all morning. It involved wires, hydraulic machines, and how to safely drop through trap doors. Amanda and I had politely declined their invitation to go with them.

"Rachel!" Sabrina exclaimed when she saw me. "I was just telling Amanda how much you guys missed out on!" She said.

"Yeah, I got to test out the new wire system that the person who plays Elphaba will be hooked up to." Nicole added.

"Was it scary?" Amanda asked. Nicole shook her head.

"It was kind of like what you get hooked up to when you rock climb in malls." Sabrina explained.

"So what have you guys been doing?" Nicole asked. I shrugged.

"Rachel is auditioning for Elphaba." Amanda announced. Nicole and Sabrina gasped.

"You're kidding, right?" Nicole asked as if she couldn't believe it. I shook my head.

"Oh. My. God." Sabrina said dramatically.

"I suppose you have something to do with this?" Nicole asked Amanda as she eyed her suspiciously. Amanda laughed.

"Guys we'd love to stay and chat but Rachel has to go sign up for her audition." Amanda said. I nodded and put my flip flops on.

"Can we come with?" Nicole asked. I shrugged.

"If you want." I said. Nicole and Sabrina both nodded and the four of us left the cabin. The audition sign up sheet had been posted outside of the indoor theater so we had a ways to walk. And every time the four of us walk together, we talk about random things. Today's topic: our t-shirts.

"So do you guys know why the guys wear white shirts and the girls wear black?" Sabrina asked. Nicole and I shook our heads.

"So the counselors won't mistake some of the more flamboyant guys for girls?" Amanda guessed.

"No it's because a few years ago the girls wore white shirts too but then there was an incident down at the lake and a bunch of girls' shirts got wet." Sabrina explained. My eyes widened.

"No way." I said doubtfully.

"It's true!" Sabrina said defensively. We all laughed. I honestly didn't know if the story was true or not. It didn't seem very likely. We all talked about things like that until we reached the theater. Apparently it was the newest addition to the camp and it showed. The camp obviously had very active boosters.

The auditions and rehearsals hadn't started yet so nobody would be in the theater. Also, it was the time of day when almost everyone was in some sort of class or activity. So the area was almost completely empty. We found where the sign up sheets were posted fairly easily. There was one for the role of Elphaba, one for G(a)linda, one for Fiyero, and one for Ozians (which are the Wicked equivalent of extras and backup singers). I figured the secondary roles such as Nessarose and Boq would go to people who auditioned for the leads. There was only about ten signatures on the Elphaba sheet. I picked up the pen for it and hesitated signing my name.

"Just do it! Don't be a chicken!" Sabrina egged me on. I sighed and signed my name. Amanda immediately pushed past me and looked at my signature.

"Your handwriting is awful!" she exclaimed rather loudly.

"My dads said that it doesn't matter. My talent is far more important than some words on a paper." I said defensively. I don't have many flaws when it comes to skills but when they're pointed out I tend to freak out.

"Rachel, when it comes to sign up sheets, handwriting _does_ matter. It makes either a good or a bad impression on the person that is eventually going to judge you on your talents." Amanda explained as she dug through her capris pocket. Finally she pulled out what looked like a strip of stickers.

"Stickers? What are you, A? four?" Nicole asked Amanda sarcastically. Amanda ignored her and walked up to the list. She found my name and stuck one of the stickers next to it. It was a gold star.

"There. That just made your signature a thousand times better." She said to me. I looked at her skeptically.

"How?" I asked.

"It makes your signature unique from the rest and it's a metaphor." Amanda exclaimed.

"A metaphor for what?" I asked. Amanda sighed in annoyance.

"A metaphor for _you_ being a star." she said. Then she turned back to the lists and signed her name on the Ozian one in perfect cursive.

"Nice." I said. "Can we go to the lake now?" I asked.

"Not quite." a voice said from behind me. It was a very familiar voice. One that I heard yell criticisms day and night. One that sounded very annoyed and possibly angry.

_Piper_.

I turned around to face her. I'd been right. She looked like a combination of angry and annoyed.

"What can we do for you today, Piper?" I asked her in the nicest tone possible. I didn't want to irritate her further.

"Did you really just sign up to audition for Elphaba?" she asked. She towered over me in height so she was looking down on me. I admit, it was intimidating.

"Y-yes." I stuttered out. "Is there a problem with that." I was worried she might punch me in the face or something with the death stare she was giving me.

"Wow. You are officially dumber than I thought." she stated in a monotone. Then her expression changed to a menacing smile.

"Though, I suppose it won't do you much good anyways. All you'll do at that audition is make a fool of yourself in front of Mariska." she said. I couldn't take it any more. Against all of my instincts that told me not to, I fought back (verbally).

"I noticed your name on the list too, Piper." I stated in a smart-mouthy tone.

"Yes and your point?" she asked. She seemed taken aback that I'd suddenly gone from being afraid of her to not.

"Well it's just, I didn't know that Elphaba could be portrayed by someone who's tone-deaf." I said. Amanda, Nicole, and Sabrina all loudly gasped. I hadn't noticed but a group of people had noticed Piper and me's confrontation and they were now also watching. A few of them made, "Ooooo." sounds. Piper collected herself and went back to giving me a death stare.

"If you know what's good for you, you will cross your name off the list right now." she said.

"I think I can figure out what's good for me, thanks." I said defiantly.

"You'd better watch your back, Berry." she threatened in a whisper so none of our spectators could hear. Then she walked off dramatically.

"Oh my god." I heard a spectator whisper.

"That new chick must have a death wish." Another whispered.

"I think she's pretty badass." I heard a guy say. I looked in the direction where that spectator was. He was tall with black hair that fell into his eyes. He looked like he belonged in a screamo band and not at theater camp. Though, I didn't pay much attention to him because he was standing next to none other than, Landon Knight. I knew that Landon saw me looking at him and he knew I could hear him.

"I think she's pretty." Landon said to his friend.

**And that's the end of the chapter! I should be able to update soon because I'm now on summer break. WHOOO! Anyhoozel, REVIEWS are gratefully accepted. I will reply to any questions or comments you may have.**

**Fun facts in this chapter.**

**1. Landon's anonymous friend will be explained more later on in the story which is why he got almost no description.**

**2. Microsoft Word hates the Wicked character names.**

**3. Rachel does have kind of bad handwriting. Just look at her signature in the pilot episode.**

**4. I originally considered having Amanda audition for G(a)linda but decided that it would be unrealistic. **

**Well that's all of the fun facts for this chapter! Once again, please review!**


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